


Protective Instincts

by lesbianartemis



Series: Iron Dad, Spider Son, and their Dysfunctional but Nonetheless Amusing Family [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Civil War Team Iron Man, Dysfunctional Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Tony, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Iron dad and Spider son, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Sassy Peter, Sorry Not Sorry, Team as Family, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony-centric, again no team cap bashing, i just feel the need to assert team iron man's dominance, its so canon it hurts, why is this not a tag yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 11:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17848802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianartemis/pseuds/lesbianartemis
Summary: In which Tony wants to protect Peter, Peter wants to protect Tony, and Bucky has one hell of a headache trying to keep them both safe. Really, he is not paid enough for this.





	Protective Instincts

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this is an unintentional continuation of the previous AU I wrote in Path to Fatherhood! You don't have to have read that one to understand this work. If you're coming in fresh and don't want to read the previous work, though, just note that Bucky/Tony are a thing that has happened and Tony is totally Peter's adopted dad, which is essentially canon at this point. This is mostly just a self-indulgent fic that I wrote while putting off studying bc my bestie inspires the hell out of me. Hope you all enjoy!

It started out as a day like any other, which meant Tony probably should’ve known _something_ was going to happen on principle. He woke with a start, face plastered in the worn pillow of the couch in his lab, drool half-dry and entirely gross. A blanket had been draped across him, the main signifier that Bucky had been down here at some point during Tony’s sleep, because Tony sure as hell wouldn’t have bothered to grab a blanket if he was about to crash. Priorities definitely dictated sleep over comfortable sleep, and Tony was pretty sure that hierarchy dictated that the only time a blanket or pillows ended up as part of his sleep routine was when Bucky caught him passed out in some random location and took it upon himself to make sure his rest was at least somewhat comfortable.

Honestly, Tony was amazed the man was managing to put up with him.

It had been four months of dating, and Tony was apprehensively waiting for the other shoe to drop – because it always did. It was a given in his life that _something_ about him would drive the other party away. But so far, he and Bucky appeared to still be rock solid, with Bucky patiently and even fondly coaxing him upstairs for meals or sleep, or just bringing him food and tucking him in on his couch in the lab when pulling him away didn’t work. He showed none of the frustration with Tony’s single-minded work ethic or manic behavior fueled by 72 hours without sleep that previous partners had, and Tony was staunchly trying not to take that as a positive sign. After all, he and Pepper had seemed like they were going to make it, but even she, saint that she was, hadn’t been able to deal with all his bullshit in the end. It didn’t give him much hope for future relationships.

“Hey Sleeping Beauty, you finally awake?” Bucky’s voice sounded amused from the door to the lab, and Tony was _not_ responsible for the way that he brightened at the sound, bodily perking up and jerking to a sitting position to smile at his boyfriend. He felt a little gratified at Bucky’s Disney reference, having sworn himself to updating Bucky’s film repertoire the same way he’d done Steve’s.

“I’ll have you know I neither sleep regularly nor am beautiful, so I find your words to be a gross exaggeration,” Tony sniffed, and Bucky cocked an eyebrow, striding steadily towards the genius.

“I won’t argue with you on the first count, but I definitely contest the second one,” Bucky said lowly, eyes dark and full of promise, leaning in to kiss Tony very _very_ soundly, though he held his body weirdly separate from Tony’s.

“I dunno, might need you to convince me a little more,” Tony declared breathlessly when Bucky pulled back, and the soft, affectionate look he got in response was _almost_ as good as Bucky acting on his sentiment. But Bucky hesitated.

“After the coffee I brought you, if you’re still feeling like it, I will _certainly_ see what I can do to convince you just how goddamn attractive you are, moya lyubov,” Bucky promised, eyes glinting, and Tony’s eyes darted down curiously, fixing on the mug in Bucky’s hand that he was holding carefully aloft between them to prevent any spillage. 

“You are an absolute angel, James Buchanan Barnes,” Tony announced, making grabby hands for the mug, and Bucky smirked before handing it over. The first sip tasted like heaven, reminding Tony that he was, in fact, a human being and not a soulless entity doomed to roam the earth forevermore in search of caffeine to propel him into consciousness. Tony let out a noise of pleasure, shutting his eyes and enjoying the sensation of genuine consciousness returning to his body as he finished the mug.

When he opened them again, Bucky was staring at him hungrily – and _fuck_ if that wasn’t hot. He’d been a little busy lately with SI responsibilities on top of his Avengers calls, which meant his and Bucky’s alone time had been depressingly curbed for the moment. And if there was anything in the entire world that could be frustrating about having a hot, witty, sarcastic super soldier as his boyfriend, it was not being able to fuck said boyfriend.

Blessedly, Tony thought it was looking like his luck might be changing, based on Bucky’s expression. Which, of course, meant that at that exact moment, a familiar voice chirped, “Hey Uncle Bucky, hey Dad, everyone was wondering when you guys were gonna come up for dinner and movie night!”

“We’ll be up in one moment, Spiderling,” Bucky said evenly, eyes not leaving Tony’s – and Tony had grown up in front of the press, had learned how to hide his emotions from other people at a young age, but dear God the way Bucky was able to answer Peter so composedly while still staring at Tony like he wanted to absolutely _devour_ him was so much more attractive than it had any right to be.

“Okay, I’ll tell Natasha she’s not allowed to hog the General Tso’s chicken,” Peter called back obliviously.

“Good luck with that, kid,” Tony responded, trying to sound normal but knowing his voice came out strangled – and Bucky could tell, too, if his lazy, wolfish smile was anything to go by. Thankfully, the kid appeared not to notice, \ the lab doors sliding shut behind Peter quickly, and Bucky and Tony were left alone.

“You okay, baby? You seem a little…worked up,” Bucky smirked, and Tony smacked him.

“And whose fault is that, you caveman? I’m just innocently trying to wake up and go about my business and you come here accosting me with your charms and good looks and thoughtfulness,” Tony lamented, and Bucky’s expression softened. But one of Peter’s words finally connected with Tony’s subconscious. “Hang on – dinner?”

Bucky chuckled. “It’s 7 p.m., dollface. Pretty sure that’s dinnertime for most people,” he responded indulgently, and Tony frowned, then shrugged. Whatever, it wasn’t like his sleep schedule had ever been what one could consider normal.

“So I guess we should we go upstairs, then?” Tony said, partly a question, partly a recommendation, and Bucky smiled at him before taking the coffee mug from his hands and placing it on the nearby work table. 

“Maybe in a minute,” he said, voice low and full of promise.

 

 

They were given a hard time for showing up late to dinner, but it was half-hearted at best – and mostly accompanied by Thor’s congratulatory clap on the back at the sight of the dark marks on Tony’s neck (damn that super soldier healing factor that meant his marks never lasted long enough on Bucky), Steve’s blush, Clint’s eye roll and quip about Mom and Dad keeping their sex life on the D.L., and Peter’s utter mortification. 

Tony felt a little bad about that last one but couldn’t really bring himself to regret it – especially not when Bucky glowed with a smug, possessive self-satisfaction all through dinner, which Tony would _absolutely not_ admit was annoyingly hot.

“You know, I really thought once you two finally got your shit together and started dating that you’d be much _less_ obnoxious to be around, but I think I was wrong,” Clint commented when Bucky slid into a seat next to Tony, metal arm immediately finding its way around Tony’s shoulder as they exchanged smoldering looks with each other across shitty Chinese food. 

“Not my fault that you freeloaders decided to interrupt a perfectly good couples’ night with your insistence on family dinner and movies,” Tony shot back without any real heat. He loved family movie night and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“You’d be sad without us and you know it, Tony,” Natasha challenged affectionately, and Tony smiled genuinely at her in return.

“You have no proof of that,” he countered, which was as much proof as him confirming it outright. Sure, two month ago, or a month ago even, he’d probably have denied it and sincerely meant his denial. But things had been getting steadily better, and now his half-hearted denials were so, so much more about him giving people he considered real friends a hard time than him sincerely putting off people he disliked.

“Are you arguing with the ultimate Spider?” Natasha asked silkily, and Peter snapped to attention. Tony raised an eyebrow, suppressing a grin.

“Pretty sure my kid might challenge you for that designation,” he stated, face and voice solemn but for a small quirk of his lips.

“Yeah, we haven’t even fought one-on-one, Aunt Tasha – you can’t claim to be the ultimate Spider without that!” Peter protested indignantly, apparently entirely sincere in his righteous defense of his own skill. Tony choked down a snicker, but Bucky wasn’t so lucky.

“Oh, I’d pay ta see that fight,” he said, grinning as he scooped a large helping of what was left of the General Tso’s chicken onto his plate. But Tony waved his fork warily at them.

“Absolutely not. Natasha, you’re not allowed to fight my kid. Petey, you’re not allowed to fight Aunt Tasha. I don’t need another Civil War on my hands, one was enough for a lifetime. We clear?” he asked sternly, and Peter had the decency to look abashed. Natasha simply looked amused.

“Yeah, yeah, Dad,” Peter grumbled, and Tony nodded severely at him before turning his attention to Natasha.

“Sure, Iron Dad,” Natasha said, smirking, and Tony narrowed his eyes at her before reluctantly deciding to trust her sentiment, which actually did seem sincere in this case.

 

 

They were only halfway through The Notebook, Thor having started crying and threatening the screen four times already, when FRIDAY alerted them that there was a problem that demanded their attention.

“Chitauri,” she said over her speakers, and Tony didn’t think that he was the only one that froze, terrified.

They made it out of the Avengers Tower in record time.

 

 

“Iron Man, on your six!” Hawkeye called, and Tony swerved, a miniaturized bomb exploding in the air beside him as he blew past the smoke.

“Thanks, Katniss,” he called back into the coms. “Cap, the readings that FRIDAY and I are getting are saying that taking out their commander, whichever one that is, will make the rest of them drop just like the last Chitauri unit we fought.”

“Acknowledged, Iron Man. Any details on which one’s the commander?” Steve asked, and Tony frowned at the data flowing across his screen, noting highlighted areas that were in particular danger but nothing that pointed out specific Chitauri that could be identified as being in control of the others.

“FRIDAY, baby girl, any insight?” Tony asked, hoping his girl had had better luck than him.

“None yet, Boss, but I’ll keep looking,” FRIDAY responded, and Tony nodded his acknowledgment. 

“FRIDAY and I haven’t found them yet, but we’re going to keep searching. Considering the lack of giant hole in the sky and the relatively contained group that we’re facing, we’re betting this is probably a rogue group, which means their commander should be nearby,” Tony reported. 

“Okay, I want Black Widow and Winter focused on engaging the larger groups of Chitauri on the ground – it’s more likely that the commander is part of one of the bigger groups for protective purposes, and you two are the most likely to be able to profile group behavior and figure out which one is the commander,” Steve instructed. “Loki, Spider-Man, and I will focus on evacuating and protecting citizens and containing damage to as small an area as possible. Hulk, take on their larger forces. Thor and Hawkeye, you’re in charge of engaging their fliers, and Iron Man, I need you and FRIDAY to help Widow and Winter figure out who the commander is from your position in the air.”

The team acknowledged, and Tony flew over the battle, analyzing the fight with FRIDAY. The Chitauri were surprisingly good at masking whoever their commander was, seamlessly falling into line and viciously attacking as though each was an equal partner in destruction. If Tony didn’t know from personal experience that the species had some sort of link to one another that was contingent on the survival of their highest-ranking being, he’d have thought they were all on identical ground in terms of authority. 

“Rock of Ages, I’m registering life forms in the building to your left on the second and third floors, and the building is about to collapse,” Tony said.

“Heading that way,” Loki responded easily.

“Thor is heading off a group that’s being especially difficult,” Clint reported a little later.

“Position?” Steve demanded.

“Two streets to your left, Captain,” Clint answered, and Steve responded immediately.

“Need backup, please,” came Natasha’s frantic voice a while after over the com, and Tony located her immediately.

“I have visual and am responding,” he said over the coms before diving in, blasting the Chitauri focused on their location.

The battle lasted far too much longer, each Avenger sustaining more injuries, collecting more exhaustion than they’d like. But finally, _finally_ some of Tony’s analytical eye and FRIDAY’s programming managed to pick up a pattern in the Chitauri’s behavior.

“FRIDAY and I think we’ve located the commander,” Tony reported, eyes fixating on a small Chitauri being in formation with a small collection of others of his kind whose body language had indicated some degree of control over the beings in his vicinity, though Tony couldn’t necessarily see past that. “Requesting permission to engage.”

“Do you have backup in the vicinity, Iron Man?” Steve asked, and Tony and FRIDAY did a quick sweep.

“Negative. However, there are civilians in the apartments nearby, and the Chitauri pose a direct threat to their safety if not contained quickly,” Tony reported. A heavy pause followed.

“Do what you feel is best, Iron Man,” Steve said finally, and Tony lasered in to the task at hand.

“Acknowledged,” he said calmly, angling to aim himself downward.

“Steve, no – he should wait for backup,” Bucky growled over the coms. 

“No can do, Frosty, gotta take care of this before anyone gets hurt,” Tony said flippantly, staying the course. 

“Dad, I’m nearby, please wait until I get to you,” Peter pleaded, and Tony’s heart broke a little at his frantic tone.

“Sorry, Underoos, I have to take these guys out before they can hurt anyone. Don’t worry so much though, kid, I’d never miss our watch party for Return of the Jedi, even if Yoda’s animators should be sacrificed to the animatron gods.”

“Not sure that’s a thing, Stark,” is the last thing he remembers hearing, Loki’s voice amused but with the undercurrent of worry, carrying him into oblivion.

 

 

Maybe he should stop fucking making promises. Head pounding and far too aware of his plethora of aches and pains, he sporadically became aware of the sound of a distantly beeping heart monitor and interspersed conversations.

“ – dumbass saved New York again – “

“ – fifth time he’s risked his life to the point of _literally_ almost dying _this month_ – “

But the one that finally brought him back to the surface was a concerned, horrifically dejected teenage voice. “Are you sure he’s gonna come back to us? He and Aunt May are all the family I have left.” Peter sounded so dejected, and Tony felt himself protectively, fiercely respond.

“Never gonna leave you, kid,” he groaned out, uncertain if the words were comprehensible. But the sharp uptake of air and stark silence told him that maybe the words had been more substantial than he thought.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter’s tentative voice sounded, breaking his heart.

“Thought you called me Dad. Did I lose my privileges while I was unconscious?” Tony protested hoarsely, eyes slowly blinking open to Peter’s concerned expression.

But at his words, Tony got to watch an ecstatic smile spread across Peter’s face. “Never,” Peter declared emphatically, and Tony couldn’t and wouldn’t stop the pleased grin that spread across his face at the pronouncement. But Peter faltered. “As long as you’ll have me?”

And Tony scoffed, trying to do so as reassuringly as possible. “As if I’d ever let you get rid of me, Fruit of my Loins,” he declared haughtily. “I’ve claimed you as my own, and I defy you to find a way out of that.” Tony glanced around the rest of the room, noting the semicircle his teammates had formed around his bedside.

“Ugh, Stark, you’re such a – what do you Midguardian’s call it? – a marshmallow?” Loki sneered without venom, and Tony rolled his eyes then grinned acerbically.

“If humanity needs a marshmallow, then I’ll be the goddamn best marshmallow they’ve ever seen, honeykins,” Tony declared. Multiple teammates let out noises of protest at his ghastly sentimentality then.

“Gross,” Clint wrinkled his nose.

“Ugh, emotions,” Natasha agreed.

“Be a little mature, guys,” Steve reprimanded.

“I might be with Stevie on this one,” Bucky said amusedly. Tony snickered.

“Oh yeah, ‘cause your thoughts are really mature, Snowflake,” he teased, and Bucky pierced him with a gaze.

“You sure you wanna go there, honey?” Bucky challenged, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Okay no, I’m drawing the line as the adopted offspring – you are _absolutely not allowed_ to go there in front of me,” Peter protested, looking vaguely scarred as Clint fake-retched in the background. Tony winced.

“Okay, yeah, the kid might be right on that one,” he agreed hastily, and Bucky cocked an eyebrow at him, amusement clear on his face.

“Fine,” he agreed easily, and Tony’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, “but that means you all gotta leave the room, ‘cause Tony and I are gonna have a _talk_.”

“Buck, I’m pretty sure Tony isn’t supposed to do anything…strenuous for a while,” Steve objected, looking a little nauseous at having to speak those words. Bucky smirked.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your engineer back in one piece, Stevie,” he promised, though his tone said anything but. Although with a look like that, Tony was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind Bucky taking him apart. 

“Yep, okay, I’m leaving before they graduate from eye-fucking to actual fucking,” Natasha declared.

“Language, my kid is present,” Tony scolded as Natasha darted from the room, Clint hot on her heels.

“I’m fairly certain he has heard much worse come out of your mouth, Stark,” Loki said amusedly, though he left the room quickly after.

“Get well quickly, Man of Iron,” Thor said, following his brother. 

“What he said,” Steve said, shaking his head and heading out. 

“Please at least _try_ for like ten minutes to not nearly die,” Bruce said exasperatedly.

“No promises, Green Bean,” Tony called at his back as he left the room. And then it was just him, his kid, and his boyfriend left in the room. There was a moment of silence, and then –

“Please don’t do that again, Mr. Stark,” Peter said quietly, eyes on the floor.

“Pete, kiddo – you know I can’t promise that in our line of work,” Tony said softly, and Peter’s eyes shot up to meet his, and he tried to project confidence and determination. “The civilians come first. I know you feel that way too, and as much as I hate to see you out there fighting, I get why you’re doing it.”

Peter bit his lip, looking like he was trying to decide whether or not to say something. “It’s just…” he hesitated, then looked like he steeled himself. “It’s just that it seems like you take risks that you don’t have to. Like you don’t value your own life enough,” he said in a rush. And Tony flinched, because maybe there was some measure of truth to the kid’s words, but he would never _ever_ want his boy to notice that. 

“I’d never leave you, Petey,” he promised fiercely, surprised himself by the vehemence in his tone. “Never doubt that.”

And Peter nodded at his promise, seemingly taking him at his word, which warmed Tony’s heart that he trusted Tony so implicitly. “I’m holding you to that, Dad,” he said sternly, and Tony couldn’t hold back the pleased smile as his kid left the room.

And then it was just him and Bucky – and honestly, Tony was a little nervous to look his boyfriend in the eye right now.

“So, uh, battle went well, yeah? We won? Everyone was okay? World saved?” Tony babbled, hoping, probably unrealistically, that Bucky would take pity on him.

He should’ve known the Winter Solder had pity for no one, least of all his risk-taking boyfriend.

“You,” Bucky growled, face looming over Tony, “are _not_ goin’ to do that ever again.”

“Okay, yeah, sure, agreed, never again – what am I not doing again?” Tony capitulated, wide-eyed, and Bucky’s eyes narrowed menacingly.

“Goin’ in without backup. Riskin’ your life unnecessarily. Treatin’ yourself like you don’t matter. _Givin’ me a fucking heart attack_. Take your pick,” he bit out, eyes flashing.

“Buck, I needed to do that to keep people safe,” Tony protested weakly, and Bucky glared at him.

“That may or may not be true and we both know it,” Bucky said vehemently. “Sure, you goin’ in immediately kept the civilians in that building and ultimately everyone else when you took out the commander safe. But you goin’ in without waitin’ for backup? Especially when backup was only a coupla minutes away? That put _you_ in danger. Which I know you don’t necessarily care about – but Peter and I _do_. So obviously, if those people had been in imminent danger, we would understand you riskin’ everything to go in after them. But they _weren’t_ – imminent danger was nearby, sure, but not necessarily aimed in their direction. Which, to me and Petey, means you risked your life unnecessarily when you coulda waited on one of us to back you up. And next time, _you are going to wait on us if you can_ , am I understood?”

“Yeah,” Tony acquiesced weakly, and Bucky looked a little mollified.

“Good,” he said with some degree of satisfaction. Tony paused a moment, trying to gauge his mood.

“So does this mean we can pick up where we left off this morning? Because it felt like we got a little rushed. Pretty sure there was some unfinished business there,” he said hopefully, and Bucky pinned him with an amused glare.

“You’re in a hospital bed, sweetheart, so no,” he said, but his tone was more fond than upset. Tony pouted.

“But after we’re back home?”

“Sure, baby.”

**Author's Note:**

> moya lyubov - my love


End file.
